Govt ropes in IBM for pilot study on using AI, weather tech in agriculture

The Centre on Wednesday inked pact with IBM India for undertaking a pilot study to utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) and weather technology solutions in agriculture in one district each in three states.

The pilot study will be conducted for the Kharif crop season 2019 in three districts - Bhopal, Rajkot and Nanded - in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, respectively, an official statement said.

IBM's Watson Decision Platform will give solution in the field of agriculture through AI and weather technology at village level/ farm level to provide weather forecast and soil moisture information on pro bono basis to help farmers for taking decisions regarding water and crop management for better production and productivity, it added.

The statement of intent (SoI) was signed in the presence of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and junior minister Kailash Choudhary, and other senior officials.

Speaking on the occasion, Tomar said: "Enabling use of next-generation technologies such as AI and advanced weather data for better insights to make faster and more informed agricultural decisions is a testament to our commitment".

It has been the government's assurance to bring digital technologies to help our farmers to increase their income and transform Indian agriculture, he said.

As part of the collaboration, IBM Watson Decision Platform for Agriculture will be leveraged to obtain farm level weather forecast and village level soil moisture in three districts in Central and Western India.